Aurora autonomous fleet
The company will be testing its autonomous vehicle hardware and software. Credit: Fotis Fotopoulos on Unsplash.

Aurora, an autonomous vehicle technology start up, has decided to expand the testing of its fleet of autonomous vehicles in Texas.

The company will be testing its autonomous vehicle hardware and software installed in Chrysler Pacifica minivans, as well as Class 8 tractor trailers at the Dallas-Fort Worth area within the next few weeks.

The company was established by Chris Urmson, a former lead engineer for Google’s self-driving project.

In a statement, the company said: “Whether a vehicle is moving people or goods, an investment in foundational elements like world-class perception, localisation, and motion planning can’t be sidestepped.

“Our early focus on the complexities of surface street driving accelerates our ability to handle the hardest aspects of trucking. While this investment takes time on the front end, its payoff can’t be underestimated.”

The company further explained that it will be primarily focusing on trucking as it is said to offer greater market opportunities.

Last June, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ North American unit (FCA US) partnered with autonomous vehicle technology start-up Aurora to develop autonomous platforms for commercial vans.

According to Aurora, the collaboration with Fiat Chrysler will further expand the scope of the Aurora Driver. This will enable Fiat Chrysler to provide a range of solutions to strategic customers working in areas such as logistics and transit.

The partnership will enable Aurora to develop and deploy self-driving commercial vehicles, which will be deployed for commercial applications such as delivery vans and ride-hailing fleets.

Aurora has also previously teamed up with German carmaker Volkswagen, South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Co and China’s Byton to develop and test self-driving systems.